Letter to the Editor: Care for your animals

I was driving in the country the other day when I saw a dog chained in a pen with some goats. Then I saw a second dog in a pen right next to it also with goats.

Both dogs were on a chain hooked to a cable. One dog could go inside a building, but the other was out in the open. It looked like the only shelter was the overhang of a roof about 4 feet wide. In the afternoon there was no shade.

The dog had dug a hole in the ground to try and seek shelter from the sun and heat.

I was very upset by this discovery, so I pulled down into the driveway and looked for someone at home. There was a lady outside doing something with one of her goats. I asked her if she owned the dogs and she said yes. I asked if they were chained all the time and she said, “Yes, they are watch dogs.” I asked if they ever got to go for a walk or go play. She said no.

She had two smaller dogs running around loose and I made the comment that they were lucky. She said, “They don’t go up onto the road and the other dogs would.”

I went away feeling really sorry for those dogs.

I had a dog out past her place for a few weeks, so every time I drove to and from I had to see those dogs on the end of a chain just lying there day after day.

Some people would say it’s none of my business, but I can’t help but be concerned because I feel that there is no quality of life when an animal is on the end of a chain 24-7 for its entire life.

I still think of those dogs and visualize them lying there in 20-degree weather with snow piled up around them, or 106-degree weather trying to find relief from the heat.

I believe every animal needs shelter from the elements and some kind of activity off the end of a chain.

It breaks my heart to see an animal neglected like that.

Please provide for your animals during the heat and cold. Every animal deserves a walk, run or play time to maintain their health and happiness.